


Hazy

by orphan_account



Category: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The Legend of Zelda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boxing, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Disabled Character, Disabled Character Being Awesome, F/M, Mute Link, POV Second Person, Sign Language, Women Being Awesome, mute character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-28
Updated: 2013-12-28
Packaged: 2018-01-06 12:02:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1106584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You notice him a little too late. The rush has not gone away, the thrill still running through your veins.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hazy

**Author's Note:**

> This was for the Zelda AU Secret Santa gift exchange.

You notice him a little too late. The rush has not gone away, the thrill still running through your veins. Only when you look away from your trophy, glimmering gold and just for you, do you notice him in the crowd. He sits towards the back, in a good seat. He could easily see you beat that last Boblokin.

Despite yourself, you smile.

-

It takes a moment to start your truck. An apology leaves your lips, one all too similar to the ones from before. He just shakes his head; you both know how old your truck is. With all the prize money you earn, thousands for each win, you could easily get a new car. Still, there is something about this old thing that sticks to you.

The memories.

He buckles his seat belt in, his hands shaking slightly.

"Link, what's wrong?"

For a moment, one tense moment, he will not even look at you. You look to his hands, to his face, to any sign that he is okay. His face is blank, his eyes to his lap.

Then, his hands move. He has relaxed them enough to keep them from shaking, enough to where you can understand what he is saying.

I, L, I, A

"Link," you reply.

His face remains blank, but he continues signing to you. He asks you if you can give him a ride to his old place, explains that he walked here. His bus could only take him so far.

"Yes!" Your voice comes out a little too loud, your excitement a little too hard to hide.

You pull out of the parking lot, your mind set on one place.

-

His home is even messier than usual, though there is no surprise to that. You would have come over and clean it, a gift from a friend to a friend, but you could not remember where everything went. Why would you want to accidentally ruin his home?

You sneeze; he signs an apology.

Your eyes wonder over the photos on the wall. There are pictures of Epona, of the goats, even of some fields. There are none of you.

You shake your head. That does not matter.

You sneeze again. What were you expecting to find here? It's just a dirty old home, long since unused. How does he even own it?

Your eyes turn to his hands. He asks you if you would like to go get dinner.

"My treat," he signs. "After the night you had, you need it."

-

You go to one of the local places. Why travel to one of the nearby cities for some overpriced, small meals? The food at this joint is cheap and worth everything you pay.

One of the ladies working behind the counters smirks at you when you come inside. She raises an eyebrow, silently asking if he is your date. You do not reply.

You used to come here all the time. Whether you two had just finished up working at the farm, finished a hard day at school, or were just hungry, you came. You scan the menu for a second, then close it. It has not changed it, and you still have it memorized.

"Are you getting your usual?" you ask.

He nods.

The waitress comes by, an old girl from school. She smiles, asks how you guys are doing. Link forces a smile and makes a general hand gesture that he's fine. He's lying, but she would never guess it. You do the same, saying a quick "Fine".

"Do you know what you're ordering?" She pulls a notebook from her apron pocket.

You give the two orders. Just as you finish, Link signs something to you.

"No, change that," you say. "Can you remove the pickles from his burger?"

She nods. "Of course, honey." She takes the menus from the two of you. "I'll have your drinks out in no time. The food shouldn't take long either."

"So you don't like pickles any longer?" It's the strangest small talk that you've ever had before. You used to give him your pickles. He enjoyed them, relished their flavor.

He signs that he can no longer stand the taste.

You nod. It's not the end of the world.

His hands are still. You struggle to think of something to say.

"Do you still like fries?"

He nods.

"Damn," you respond. "I was finally hoping that I could steal yours and get away with it."

-

You eat quickly, and order seconds even faster. You are starving, your stomach begging you to fill it. With the burgers come fries and shakes. The chocolate shakes easily fall down your throat, filling you with a sugary buzz. The grease sticks to your fingers, but that's what your tongue was made for.

He eats much slower than you do. For once in his life, and you are not exaggerating, he takes the time to eat his food. All your life, even when you were just a little girl, he would eat quickly. Then again, he has changed. Maybe something happened and you just do not remember it.

He pays for the entire meal, then leaves a generous tip. Before this, neither of you had much money. It was almost funny how things changed.

-

On the drive home, you turn on the radio. Neither of you can decide on a station, constantly fighting to turn the dial. Eventually, you both stop it on a weather station.

There is a cold front expected next week.

You snack on fries, then sip on a to-go cup full of that chocolate milkshake. Even after all you ate, you are still hungry.

-

Your father only raises an eyebrow when you come in with him.

"The couch is all yours," he says. He pats Link on the shoulder. "Unless you were expecting to go somewhere else." He looks over to you.

"No!" You shudder. A few years ago, he sat you down and had a discussion, explained some things. It was one memory that you wish you had never recovered. It was embarrassing. At the end, he said to not be too loud and to use protection. "Dad, he's just staying for the night, His house is really dirty."

"I believe you." He eyes your trophy. "Besides, you can take care of yourself. So, how was the fight?"

You sit down with your father, replay the fight scene by scene to him. Link sits as well. Both of them listen eagerly.

"That's my girl," your father says when he's done. He turns to Link. "So what happened while you were gone? I've heard a lot, mister hero."

He turns red, then signs that he wishes you would stop watching the news.

"I am no hero," he signs. Then, his hands still.

-

You toss and turn throughout the night. After a fight, you usually sleep like a log. Right then, all you can think about is what you saw on the news over the last few months. Never once did you think your friend would meet president Zelda, nor would he interact with the foreign monarch Midna. 

Around one in the morning, you turn on a light. You look over your recent letter to Telma. You promised her that you would stay in contact, and you cannot bring yourself to break that. You put the letter in an envelope, then seal it and put on a stamp. The mail man will find something in the mailbox for once.

Questions run through your mind. Should you ask him? Does he even want to know?

-

In the end, he is the one with questions in the morning. You find him in the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee. His blond hair is a mess, his clothes from the night before covered in wrinkles. His hands move, asking if you would like some waffles. You nod. He takes some from the freezer.

Once they are in the toaster, he signs once more. He says he does not want to discuss what happened. Then, he asks how your memory is going.

"I don't want to talk about it."

He signs back. "Fair enough."

Then, he tells you that you did great last night. He asks if you want to fight again.

You nod.

"Just like old times," you say.

The waffles pop up from the toaster.

-

"Just because you're my friend doesn't mean that I won't go easy on you." You grin.

He nods.

From the window, your father watches. He shoots you a look of encouragement.

-

"Are you okay?" Maybe you went a little too hard.

He nods.

"Just keep holding that ice pack." You take a sip of your water. "What did you think?"

He signs that he had fun.

"Want to do it again sometime?"

He nods. Then, he signs how much he missed doing that with you.

"I did too." You close your eyes, images flashing in front of your eyelids. They are disconnected and loose, your memory still hazy. "I had a lot of fun with you, Link."

-

"I have another match tonight." You turn off your truck. "Want to come?"

He signs that he wouldn't miss it for the world.


End file.
